Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Blended net revenue
$47,840
Blended effective commission rate
11.4%
Total commission paid
$6,160
Total gross bookings
$54,000
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How to use this
- 1Enter airbnb gross bookings ($).
- 2Enter airbnb commission (%).
- 3Enter vrbo gross bookings ($).
- 4Enter vrbo commission (%).
- 5Enter direct booking gross bookings ($).
- 6Enter direct booking fee (processing only) (%).
- 7Read your blended net revenue on the right — it updates as you type.
- 8Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Most short-term rental operators list across multiple channels — Airbnb, Vrbo, and a direct booking site — each with different commission structures and booking volume, and the blended net revenue depends heavily on the mix, not just the gross booking total. This calculator takes gross bookings and commission rate per channel and computes blended net revenue and effective average commission rate, showing the revenue impact of shifting bookings toward lower-commission direct channels.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Airbnb gross bookings: 32000 $
- Airbnb commission: 15 %
- Vrbo gross bookings: 14000 $
- Vrbo commission: 8 %
- Direct booking gross bookings: 8000 $
- Direct booking fee (processing only): 3 %
Results
- Blended net revenue: $47,840
- Blended effective commission rate: 11.4%
- Total commission paid: $6,160
- Total gross bookings: $54,000
What each field means
Inputs
- Airbnb gross bookings ($)
- The airbnb gross bookings used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 32000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Airbnb commission (%)
- The airbnb commission used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 15 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–30 %.
- Vrbo gross bookings ($)
- The vrbo gross bookings used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 14000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Vrbo commission (%)
- The vrbo commission used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 8 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–30 %.
- Direct booking gross bookings ($)
- The direct booking gross bookings used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 8000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Direct booking fee (processing only) (%)
- The direct booking fee (processing only) used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 3 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–15 %.
Results
- Blended net revenue
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Blended effective commission rate
- Returned as a percentage. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Total commission paid
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Total gross bookings
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
Why does Vrbo commission usually run lower than Airbnb's?
Vrbo's standard 'Pay-Per-Booking' commission runs around 8% (5% host fee plus a payment processing fee), noticeably lower than Airbnb's typical 3% host-only or roughly 15% split-fee structure many hosts see under the standard host-fee model, though exact rates vary by listing history and market.
How much does shifting 10% of bookings to direct actually save?
On a $50,000 gross booking base with a blended 12% commission rate, shifting 10% of that volume (about $5,000) to a direct channel at a 3% processing fee saves roughly $450 annually — the savings scale directly with both the volume shifted and the commission gap between channels.
Is it worth running a direct booking website for a single unit?
For a single unit, the setup and marketing cost of a direct booking site often outweighs the commission savings unless you already have a strong repeat-guest base or local reputation. Direct booking sites pay off faster for owners with 3+ units or an established guest email list to market to.
Does this account for the different guest acquisition each channel provides?
No — this is a pure commission-cost comparison assuming the same total bookings are achievable regardless of channel mix. In practice, Airbnb and Vrbo often bring net-new guests you wouldn't reach through a direct site alone, so treat channel diversification as a demand-generation decision, not purely a cost-minimization one.
Accuracy and limitations
- Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
- Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
- This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.
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Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Vacation Rental Channel Mix Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/vacation-rental-channel-mix-calculator
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/vacation-rental-channel-mix-calculator" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vacation Rental Channel Mix Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Vacation Rental Channel Mix Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/vacation-rental-channel-mix-calculator) (2026).